Oholot 16

Chapter 16

א כָּל הַמִּטַּלְטְלִין מְבִיאִין אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה כָּעֳבִי הַמַּרְדֵּעַ. אָמַר רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן, אֲקַפַּח אֶת בָּנַי שֶׁזּוֹ הֲלָכָה מְקֻפַּחַת, שֶׁשָּׁמַע הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ, וְטָעָה, שֶׁהָאִכָּר עוֹבֵר וְהַמַּרְדֵּעַ עַל כְּתֵפוֹ, וְהֶאֱהִיל צִדּוֹ אֶחָד עַל הַקֶּבֶר, וְטִמְּאוּהוּ מִשּׁוּם כֵּלִים הַמַּאֲהִילִים עַל הַמֵּת. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אֲנִי אֲתַקֵּן שֶׁיְּהוּ דִבְרֵי חֲכָמִים קַיָּמִין, שֶׁיְּהוּ כָל הַמִּטַּלְטְלִין מְבִיאִין אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה עַל אָדָם הַנּוֹשְׂאָן בָּעֳבִי הַמַּרְדֵּעַ, וְעַל עַצְמָן בְּכָל שֶׁהֵן, וְעַל שְׁאָר אָדָם וְכֵלִים בְּפוֹתֵחַ טָפַח:

1 All movable objects spread impurity when they are as thick as an ox goad. Rabbi Tarfon says, May I strike my children if this is [not] a stricken law which the listener heard but erred, when a farmer passed with an ox goad on his shoulder and one side of his overshadowed a grave and they declared him impure because of vessels which overshadow a dead body. Rabbi Akiva says, I will fix it so the words of the Sages will endure: Any movable object spreads impurity to a person carrying them if it is as thick as an ox goad, and on themselves if it is any thickness and on other people and vessels if it is a handbreadth's space.

ב כֵּיצַד. כּוּשׁ שֶׁהוּא תָחוּב בַּכֹּתֶל, כַּחֲצִי זַיִת מִתַּחְתָּיו וְכַחֲצִי זַיִת מֵעַל גַּבָּיו, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָן מְכֻוָּנִין, טָמֵא. נִמְצָא מֵבִיא אֶת הַטֻּמְאָה לְעַצְמוֹ בְּכָל שֶׁהוּא. הַקַּדָּר שֶׁהוּא עוֹבֵר וְהַסַּל עַל כְּתֵפוֹ וְהֶאֱהִיל צִדּוֹ אַחַת עַל הַקֶּבֶר, הַכֵּלִים שֶׁבַּצַּד הַשֵּׁנִי טְהוֹרִין. אִם יֵשׁ בַּסַּל פּוֹתֵחַ טֶפַח, טְמֵאִים. הַתְּלוּלִיּוֹת הַקְּרוֹבוֹת בֵּין לָעִיר בֵּין לַדֶּרֶךְ, אֶחָד חֲדָשׁוֹת וְאֶחָד יְשָׁנוֹת, טְמֵאוֹת. הָרְחוֹקוֹת, חֲדָשׁוֹת טְהוֹרוֹת וִישָׁנוֹת טְמֵאוֹת. אֵיזוֹ הִיא קְרוֹבָה, חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה. וִישָׁנָה, שִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, קְרוֹבָה, שֶׁאֵין קְרוֹבָה מִמֶּנָּה. וִישָׁנָה, שֶׁאֵין אָדָם זוֹכְרָהּ:

2 How so? If a spindle was stuck into a wall and [a piece of dead body the size of] half an olive was below it and half an olive above it, even if they are not aligned, it is impure. We see that it spreads impurity to itself in any amount. If a potter was passing with a basket on his shoulder and one side of his overshadowed a grave, vessels on the other side are pure. If there is in the basket a handbreadth's space, they are impure. Mounds of dirt which are close to a city or a road whether new or old are impure, those far, the new are pure and the old are impure. What is considered close? Fifty cubits. What is considered old? Sixty years, says Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says close means there are none closer than it and old means that no one remembers [when] it [was created].

ג הַמּוֹצֵא מֵת בַּתְּחִלָּה מֻשְׁכָּב כְּדַרְכּוֹ, נוֹטְלוֹ וְאֶת תְּבוּסָתוֹ. מָצָא שְׁנַיִם, נוֹטְלָן וְאֶת תְּבוּסָתָן. מָצָא שְׁלשָׁה, אִם יֵשׁ בֵּין זֶה לָזֶה מֵאַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת וְעַד שְׁמֹנֶה כִּמְלֹא מִטָּה וְקוֹבְרֶיהָ, הֲרֵי זוֹ שְׁכוּנַת קְבָרוֹת. בּוֹדֵק מִמֶּנּוּ וּלְהַלָּן עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה. מָצָא אֶחָד בְּסוֹף עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, בּוֹדֵק מִמֶּנּוּ וּלְהַלָּן עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, שֶׁרַגְלַיִם לַדָּבָר. שֶׁאִלּוּ מִתְּחִלָּה מְצָאוֹ, נוֹטְלוֹ וְאֶת תְּבוּסָתוֹ:

3 One who found a corpse buried normally in the beginning, he may take it along with the surrounding dirt [to be reburied elsewhere]. If he found two [corpses], he may take them along with the surrounding dirt. [If] he found three, if there is between each of them from four to eight cubits, as much as a bier and its gravediggers, this is [considered] a graveyard [and cannot be desecrated]. [Therefore, he must] check from it and all around [for a distance of] twenty cubits. [If] he found one [corpse] a full twenty cubits away, [he must continue] to check from it and all around twenty cubits, because the 'matter has feet' [i.e. there is grounds for suspicion], for if in the beginning he found this [same corpse] he would have been able to take it along with the surrounding dirt.

ד הַבּוֹדֵק, בּוֹדֵק אַמָּה עַל אַמָּה וּמַנִּיחַ אַמָּה, עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְסֶלַע אוֹ לִבְתוּלָה. הַמוֹצִיא אֶת הֶעָפָר מִמְּקוֹם טֻמְאָה, אוֹכֵל בְּדִמְעוֹ. הַמְפַקֵּחַ בַּגַּל, אֵינוֹ אוֹכֵל בְּדִמְעוֹ:

4 One who checks must check a cubit by a cubit and then may leave a cubit until he reaches a rock or virgin soil. One who removes soil from an impure place can eat from his <i>Terumah</i> [A portion of a crop given to a Kohen which becomes holy upon separation, and can only be consumed by Kohanim or their household] but one who clears away a mound cannot eat from his <i>Terumah</i>.

ה הָיָה בוֹדֵק, הִגִּיעַ לְנַחַל אוֹ לִשְׁלוּלִית, אוֹ לְדֶרֶךְ הָרַבִּים, מַפְסִיק. שָׂדֶה שֶׁנֶּהֶרְגוּ בָהּ הֲרוּגִים, מְלַקֵּט עֶצֶם עֶצֶם וְהַכֹּל טָהוֹר. הַמְפַנֶּה קִבְרוֹ מִתּוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ, מְלַקֵּט עֶצֶם עֶצֶם וְהַכֹּל טָהוֹר. בּוֹר שֶׁמַּטִּילִים לְתוֹכוֹ נְפָלִים אוֹ הֲרוּגִים, מְלַקֵּט עֶצֶם עֶצֶם וְהַכֹּל טָהוֹר. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, אִם הִתְקִינוֹ לְקֶבֶר מִתְּחִלָּה, יֶשׁ לוֹ תְבוּסָה:

5 If he was checking and he reached a brook or a channel or a public road, he may stop. A field in which slain people were slain, he may gather bone by bone and everything is pure. One who removes a grave from his field, he may gather bone by bone and everything is pure. A pit into which miscarried fetuses or slain people were thrown, he may gather bone by bone and everything is pure. Rabbi Shimon says, if it was designated as a grave from the beginning, it has surrounding soil [that is considered impure and must also be collected].

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